Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of Prime Minister’s speech on the occasion of inauguration of PashupatiNath Dharmashala in Kathmandu.
Honourable Prime Minister Oli Ji, Minister of culture and tourism, Ravinder Prasad AdhikariJi, Member of Pashupati Area Development Trust, Dr. Pradeep DhakalJi and other dignitaries present here, devotees of Bhole Baba who have come here from far away places and my dear brothers and sisters of Nepal,
Today, a son from Kashi, the land of Baba Vishwanath bows down to you who are present here in the courtyard of PashupatiNathJi. As Prime Minister Oli Ji said just a while ago that it is very easy to understand Nepali language and the people of Gujarat.
India-Nepal friendship is deep. We know that when a tragedy overtakes you if one who is your own reaches out it provides you a great relief. When Atalji passed away, within moments Oli Ji called me and offered his condolences. I know that was not a mere formality. It was a natural expression of one's sense of belonging. And the respect and the feelings with which the your Foreign minister himself came to attend the funeral of AtalJi!
Today Nepal has decided to translate the poems of AtalJi in Nepalese.
The way we preserve and nurture the memories and message of a great soul and the wisdom that he has shared; how we pass that wisdom on to the next generations; how much we can translate that into our lives, I believe that becomes the biggest tribute to that great soul. And I express my heartfelt gratitude to respected Oli Ji, to the government of Nepal and to the people of Nepal for paying the best tribute to him, for the pledge that Nepal has taken to pass on the thoughts of AtalJi, the wisdom that he had, and the perspective that he had provided for looking at the contemporary situation which he had expressed in his poems.
The cultural relations of our two countries are very old. However, it is certain that the relations with a country do not become stronger or long lasting unless people to people ties are strengthened.
If only Kathmandu and Delhi come together; if the governments in Kathmandu and Delhi come together, that alone is not enough; the relation will not be strengthened until the peoples of Nepali and Indian mingle with each other. And today the excellent work of strengthening the people to people contact has been done with the inauguration of this Dharmshala which is a symbol of Nepal-India friendship.
My dear brothers and sisters, whenever I come to Kathmandu, I deeply feel the love and affection of the people of Nepal. And this is not only for me but the same affinity can be seen in Nepal towards India. About four years ago, I got an opportunity to worship at the feet of PashupatinathJi on the last Monday of the month of Shravan. Few months ago, when I came here, I had the privilege of visiting all the three major pilgrimages i.e. Pashupatinath, Muktinath and JanakiDham. Today I am overwhelmed with devotion as I got the opportunity to visit and offer my prayers right at the feet of Baba Pashupatinath once again. These feelings are not my alone, millions and millions of devotees of Lord Shiva all over India and though out the world, who have adopted the spiritual life and religious rituals, those who are always engrossed in God’s devotion, they have the desire to visit PashupatinathJi once in their life time. This bond of devotion to Lord Shiva and devotees of Lord Shiva between India and Nepal is so strong that it has neither been affected by the distance nor by time or difficult terrain.
Kathmandu and Kanyakumari are thousands of kilometers apart but the stories of PashupatinathJi have been reverberating in Tamil Nadu for more than one thousand five hundred years.
और बाबा पशुपतिनाथ ने सुदूर दक्षिण भारत के अपने अनंत भक्तों को पीढ़ी-दर-पीढ़़ी सैकड़ों साल से गणेश और कार्तिक की तरह अपने आप इस मंदिर में स्थान दिया है। और इसलिए आज मेरे परम मित्र प्रधानमंत्री ओली जी के साथ मिलकर नेपाल-भारत मैत्री पशुपति धर्मशाला को विश्वभर के यात्रियों के लिए, टूरिस्टों के लिए, शिव भक्तों के लिए समर्पित करते हुए मेरी प्रसन्ता की कोई सीमा नहीं है। दुनियाभर से यहां आने वाले श्रद्धालुओं की सुविधा के लिए सवा सौ करोड़ भारतवासियों की तरफ से पशुपतिनाथ जी के चरणों में यह एक छोटी सी भेंट देने का सौभाग्य मुझे मिला है।
ShaivKuruvar’sthaivaram has an important place for Lord PashupatinathJi; it has an excellent reference. And Baba Pashupatinath has provided a space to his numerous devotees who hail from far-flung southern India, for centuries and generation after generation like Ganesh and Kartik. Today I am overwhelmed while dedicating this Nepal-India Friendship PashupatiDharamshala along with my best friend Prime Minister Oli Ji to the travelers, to the tourists and devotees of Lord Shiva from all over the world. I am fortunate to have this opportunity to make this small offering in the feet of Lord Pashupatinath on behalf of 1.25 billion Indians for the benefit of devotees who come here from all over the world.
Friends, Pashupatinath, Muktinath and JanakiDham, they all unite Nepal’s diversity in unity and at the same time every moment they provide a new strength to Nepal’s relations with India. Baba Vishwanath and Pashupatinath connect Kashi and Kathmandu and I am from the land of Somnath. Somnath to Vishwanath, Vishwanath to Pashupatinath, similarly the relation of Mother Sita and Lord Shri Ram connects Janakpur with Ayodhya and Lord Jagannath and Muktinath connect Puri with Mastang. Lord Pashupatinath presiding here in this beautiful Bagmati valley, where on the one side there is Dhaulagiri and Annapurna; and Sagarmatha and KanchanJanga on the other side. It gives a beautiful and wonderful experience to the devotees of Lord Shiva and tourists from all over the world. In a way, this holy land of Kathmandu is a place of confluence of both Hinduism and Buddhism. In what way, these two faiths are inclusive of each other, and there is amity between the followers of both the faiths which can be experienced by anybody who passes through the lanes and pathways of Kathmandu. This temple of Lord PashupatinathJi too is surrounded by the centers of several faiths, like it is intertwined with the fleck of Buddhist monks. As Pradeep Ji said just a while ago that one does not even know when the chanting Om Mani Padme Hum unites with the chanting of Om NamahShivay by the devotees of Lord Shiva. This tradition is also an important link between the relationship of Nepal and India. If Lumbini in Nepal gave Gautam to the world, then Bodh Gaya in India turned him into Lord Buddha for the world. The path shown by Gautam Buddha is an inspiration to solve many problems of the modern world like the problems of extremism and terrorism.
Friends, India and Nepal have historical partnership of faith, soul and affinity. This is our unbreakable bond, this is our invaluable treasure and heritage. Our glorious history of thousands of years, our shared allegiance to VasudhaivaKutumbakam is the value that distinguishes both the countries from several other civilizations of the world.
As Oli Ji was talking about – SarveBhavantuSukhinah; SarveSantuNiramaya. Praying the welfare of everyone, not just the loved ones, but for everyone in the world.This is the basic philosophy of both the countries. And the self-confidence derived from this rich tradition will secure our place in the world. The future of both countries will be determined by this belief. Whatever we are able to achieve today, it will be meaningful only when everyone will develop, especially the ones who are deprived, who have been persecuted exploited. Today, India is scaling new heights of economic development. It is moving on the path of Reform, Perform and Transform. Today it is shining in the sky of development like the Pole star. The philosophy of ‘Together with everyone, Development for everyone ' with which we are moving ahead, also has similar place for our Nepalese brothers and sisters. When we talk about 'Together with everyone, Development for everyone,' then it is for everyone. It has been a part of our tradition to help neighbors and contribute in their prosperity, in accordance with that and with the blessings of Baba Pashupatinath, the relationship between both the countries is also moving forward.
Friends, every Indian is happy to see that today Nepal is politically stable. As a result, Nepal’s pace of development has gone up. Today, I would like to assure the Prime Minister and the people of Nepal who are present here that India’s good wishes and cooperation will always be there for the welfare of Nepal and its people. I just pray that may Lord Pashupatinath always bless this land and patronize India-Nepal friendship.This uninterrupted movement of faith, civilization and culture has been enriching the lives of millions of people of India and Nepal. I do not believe that India-Nepal Friendship Dharamshala is just a building where some tourists will come and stay, it is not just a place to stay. The feelings of India-Nepal friendship will continue to move their hearts. When they will go back to their homes, they will go back with this feeling of eternal friendship between India and Nepal.These are symbols in themselves, the arrangements may be good, but they strengthen life and this Dharamshala is the symbol which gives us strength. This arrangement is not just a facility for a traveler to stay overnight. It strengthens tourism in Nepal. These arrangements provide an additional place for the tourists coming to Nepal. A person with a modest income can also benefit from such arrangement. This building is not just a building, it is not just a place of retiring or sleeping. This unit provides a new energy to the economic activity related to the tourism of Nepal. It gives a new strength, a new power to it. And tourism is such a sector which has the potential of generating maximum employment with the minimum investment. And when such arrangements are available to the general public, tourists also want to visit, they also want to stay here and when a tourist stays, then he definitely gives something.
I believe that this Nepal-India Friendship PashupatinathDharamshala, it is not just a building or a place to stay or retire, but it is a pillar of friendship, it will become an energy center which will provide momentum to the economic system. With this belief, once again I express my heartfelt gratitude towards the Prime Minister of Nepal.
Because BIMSTEC was such an important event which has sent a positive message to the entire world from Kathmandu. When the BIMSTEC summit representing twenty-two percent of world population is being organised in Nepal at the feet of Lord Pashupatinath then the resolutions made here cannot remain unfulfilled. And therefore, I believe that the solemn pledges made under the able leadership of Prime Minister Oli Ji in Kathmandu, in the lap of Himalayas will play a big and decisive role in establishing peace and security in this region. Hon’ble Oli Ji has accomplished this thing for which he deserves compliments and praise therefore I congratulate him.
Once again I would like to express that you took time out for this occasion. And it is our good fortune that together we both are able to offer this gift. People in India will be happy with this arrangement so will be the people of Nepal. And this facility will also provide a new opportunity for economic growth. With these feeling, I once again bow down at the feet of Lord Pashupatinathji and conclude my speech.Many-many thanks.